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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27229312">All Hallows' Eve</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lacrow/pseuds/Lacrow'>Lacrow</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Forgers' First Halloween [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SPY x FAMILY (Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Halloween, Hurt/Comfort, Self-Doubt, Trick or Treating</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:21:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,986</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27229312</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lacrow/pseuds/Lacrow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As an agent of the state, Twilight knows all too well that the scariest monsters are the ones inside your head. On this particular Halloween night, he at least has Yor and Anya to remind him that the monsters, no matter how scary they may seem, aren't really there.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Loid Forger | Twilight/Yor Briar Forger | Thorn Princess</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Forgers' First Halloween [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947634</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Forger Spookfest</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>All Hallows' Eve</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The final entry in this series. It's been fun taking everyone's suggestions and I hope we can do this all again next year. I'll have one more "story" on Halloween (a familiar one to anyone who follows me on tumblr), but other than that this will be it from me. Thank you for reading! Ya'll are the best!</p><p>"The Forgers go trick-or-treating" - basically everyone</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halloween was never really something that interested Twilight, for several reasons.</p><p>It's not that he held a particular vendetta against it. No, far from it; he could certainly see the appeal of children dressing up for one night, especially when there was candy on the line. It would have been hypocritical of him to think otherwise considering most of his job entailed putting on various disguises on a daily basis. There was something liberating about it and, Twilight supposed, children picked up on that freedom as well. It made sense from a logical standpoint, and in that regard Twilight could at least partially resonate with it.</p><p>As for himself, however, Halloween was never a part of his life growing up.</p><p>Maybe at one point; maybe, before the war, mom would grab material from the store and sew it all together in a cobbled sort of mess that vaguely resembled something wearable. Dad might have scrounged together some money and bought him a pumpkin from the market to carve and, with utmost diligence, watch him closely as he fumbled with the knife and did his best to make a scary face in the gourd (though more often than not would come out looking derpy). The three of them would wander around town after the sun had gone down and knock on doors. Candy would fill his old milk bucket, and he'd gaze in wonder at all the sugar that was about to rot the little teeth in his mouth.</p><p>Maybe, at one point in his life, he had a childhood like that.</p><p>Some of his earliest memories, however, involved him looking at the holiday with disdain.</p><p>Not just Halloween, either, but most holidays in general. Times of community and family, times that no longer held any meaning to him what with the untimely demise of his mother and father from wartime shelling. His loneliness, his bitterness, all made worse by the orphanages that would try their best to force the season onto him. Not that it was their fault. Not that it wouldn't be something that any decent person would try to do; cheer up a child with no mom or dad. What better way to do that than try to get them interested in all the usual holiday festivities?</p><p>Candy. Pumpkin carving. Mask making. Arts and crafts.</p><p>Chocolate tasted bitter. Pumpkins made him queasy (the insides always reminded him of unpleasant things seen during the war). He was never one for making lanyards or coloring, though the masks always did seem to interest him. Maybe that was where he got the idea to become a spy from. A stretch, perhaps, but it was one of the few things that Loid could look back almost fondly at. A persona to hide behind. A veil to throw over when the past came back to haunt him and his face twisted with memories best left forgotten beneath all the rubble.</p><p>Halloween wasn't his thing...but that was okay.</p><p>At his age, such was the norm, anyway. Halloween was best left to the children and as the (fake) father to a (fake) daughter in a (fake) family, his job was to pick up where his own mother and father had left off a lifetime ago. He could barely remember their faces, though he imagined they must have looked a little bit like himself as he stood there and watched Anya scamper off towards the door of another random stranger's house; slightly bored, slightly amused, more than a little bit tired from all the extra attention given to make sure she stayed safe.</p><p>Anya wore her princess costume, and at her side trotted Bond. A white sheet adorned him. A ghost doggy, Anya had so eloquently put it. With two large eye holes cut into it for the hound to see out of, his tail wagged incessantly as Anya went to knock on the door. Several other children joined her as the door opened and an old lady came out to greet them all. She smiled big and complemented all their costumes before digging into a large bowl of various candies. Each child received a handful, and they accepted them with delighted thank yous.</p><p>Yor stood with Loid off by the sidewalk. An autumn wind blew steady and various colored leaves tumbled along the street behind them, a cool chill descending upon the pair as the last few remnants of light started to recede into the night. Loid looked over at his wife as she held her hair and beamed in their daughter's direction. In the quickly growing darkness, her smile was the brightest thing on the whole block. There was a fondness in her eyes that, again, made him think of his own parents. He wondered if mom ever looked at him the way Yor looked at Anya.</p><p>The children all turned heel to make their way to the next house. Theirs was a makeshift group; brought together by chance at the promise of candy, all of them had some kind of unspoken agreement to walk with each other down the street. Vaguely Loid wondered how children so young could coordinate like that without saying anything, though at the same time he knew the siren call of sugar probably had something to do with it. He kept his musings to himself as Anya and Bond came back and together they all started off for the next house.</p><p>Loid and Yor kept to the back along with the other children's parents. Just as the kids had settled into a group, so too did the adults. The Forgers engaged in polite conversation with the strangers. They all seemed nice enough, and held similar opinions on their current joint predicament; a bit boring, a bit amusing, and definitely more than a bit tiring. Some seemed put out, though most were just along for the ride. As it was, the kids were in charge. The only thing that would end the night would be full pails of candy and, of course, curfew.</p><p>Another house, another scramble to be the first one at the door. Anya giggled as she ran with the other children and Bond boofed beside her. Loid watched the door open. An older gentleman appeared along with his wife. Same as before, they both smiled before dumping candy in the multitude of buckets. Loid wondered vaguely if the couple ever had children of their own. They would, of course, be grown adults by then. If such was the case, then said hypothetical children would also likely have kids of their own. Maybe off trick-or-treating somewhere else, leaving grandma and grandpa to fawn over children that weren't even theirs. The smiles on their faces, though, made it apparent that they didn't necessarily find that to be a bad thing at all.</p><p>Loid had no idea why the thought came into his mind in the first place. Maybe being around all the other parents made him contemplative. All the passive discussions about their respective children must have made him consider his own; a daughter whom he held no blood relation to, though for some reason found himself smirking at as she and the dog came running up to him. An incredulous look spread across her face, and she held up a full-sized candy bar for him to see. Not a tiny piece like she'd gotten at the other houses. She was ecstatic.</p><p>Yor giggled and played into the girl's hype. Anya and Bond hopped in place for a moment before racing to catch up with the other kids as they continued their trek. Loid shook his head, though his smirk remained. Yor looked back at him and offered a smile, and he stared back at her without faltering. She started off with the other parents, and he followed her.</p><p>There were things going through his head that he didn't necessarily think were appropriate to Operation Strix, or at the very least not conducive to its inevitable conclusion. Things that didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Like, would it be this cold again next year? Would Anya want to wear her princess costume once more, or maybe take a crack at dressing up like Bondman? Depending on how his mission schedule looked, Yor might have to take Anya out by herself and the thought concerned him; would they be fine out in the dark on their own?</p><p>Well, they'd have to be. At that point, he wouldn't be in the picture anymore.</p><p>Loid stopped. Some other parents walked around him, and he stared at Yor as she shuffled along with them.</p><p>Strix was a long op, though the likelihood of it continuing on for another full year was highly unlikely. By then, Donovan Desmond would have likely made his move and Twilight would have put a stop to it. There was no question as to whether or not he would; he had to, for the sake of two countries. However, that also meant that there wouldn't be another Halloween. There wouldn't be another night of the four of them walking along with other families. Anya wouldn't have a papa anymore. Yor, a husband...or maybe they would, and it just wouldn't be him. Maybe they'd find someone who could fill his shoes and settle down like they deserved. Far removed from a man who never deserved the titles of husband and father in the first place...</p><p>"...Loid?" a gentle question, one that brought him back to his senses. Loid looked up and found Yor there waiting for him. "Everything okay?"</p><p>He breathed. A moment to gather his thoughts. Then, as he gazed at the concern in her eyes, Loid eased into a soft smile. "Yeah, everything's fine."</p><p>The man moved forward to catch up. His wife looked up at him, still concerned though easing once she felt his presence again. Together, side-by-side, they followed after their daughter who was already coming back from another candy haul. As they approached, Loid looked over at Yor and found that same smile from before; a distant fondness and a look of content. He stared at it for a moment before a similar expression spread across his face, and it remained there as he watched Bond and Anya regroup with the other kids.</p><p>Thoughts of the past and future were put aside for the moment. For now, he'd simply focus on the present.</p><hr/><p>The four of them shuffled in as the door creaked closed behind them. Anya, out in front, bounded for the dining room table as Bond chased after her. Yor and Loid stopped to shed their coats, which allowed their daughter time to prepare. She brandished her pail and let loose; a huge haul of candy was tossed onto the table in an impressive wave of sugar. Chocolate. Sour treats. Licorice. It all took up every corner, and Anya's eyes lit up at the display. Bond boofed beside her, not realizing that none of it was for him (papa said doggies couldn't eat sweets).</p><p>Loid meandered forward. He popped his neck and, with a tired sigh, took up one of the chairs at the table. Yor followed him, though she was content to just stand behind her husband's chair and watch him as the leaned forward to inspect the candy; an innocent parental act that was usually more for show than anything else. Rumors always abounded that time of year about people tampering with Halloween candy, though such claims were never proven true. Still, it was expected of him to make sure nothing was odd with his daughter's haul, and besides he had more logical reasons for doing so, too; it was never outside the realm of possibility that someone might have slipped in a listening device with her candy to spy on them with.</p><p>At least that's what he told himself. Truthfully, even he thought that was a stretch. The chances of someone knowing his true identity were minuscule, and even if that was the case they'd do more than simply listen in on his conversations. Loid's eyes narrowed as he spread the candy out evenly in front of him; Anya and Yor spectated behind him and smiled when, after a few minutes of examining, Loid looked back at them and gave the OK. Immediately, Anya zoomed around the side and snatched up the big chocolate bar from earlier. Her trophy for the night.</p><p>With a big grin on her face she scampered for the living room. The sound of crinkled tinfoil was quickly followed by Anya's delighted munching and the sight of Bond's tail wagging as he shadowed her. Loid gave a halfhearted growl to put away the rest of her candy first, though the warning tapered off towards the end. She was lost in her sugar high and, he supposed, so long as she did it before going to bed it wouldn't be that big a deal anyway. He sighed once more and offered his wife a nod as she informed him of her intention to make them all tea and coco.</p><p>Yor went towards the kitchen, and Loid the living room. He took his usual spot on the loveseat as Anya went to turn on the TV. The girl plopped down to the tune of campy horror movies, and she gazed up at the glowing up box with wide eyes and an equally wide mouth. Chocolate stained the sides of her lips as she absently inserted the candy bar into her mouth like money to a vending machine; there wasn't a hint of thought in that little head of hers, aside of course from how captivatingly un-scary the movie was. She still zoned at it, regardless.</p><p>Loid watched his daughter for a time. He leaned forward, as was usual, and crossed his fingers as eventually he too fell victim to what was playing on the TV. He didn't particularly care what the movie was (the plot seemed atrocious), but more used it as background noise as old thoughts started to rear their ugly head. Feelings and self-imposed warnings; everything in front of him was fake. Nothing about this family was real.</p><p><em>That kid sitting in front of the TV isn't really your kid,</em> a sanitized version of his own voice cautioned him stiffly. <em>That's not your dog</em>. <em>That woman in the kitchen isn't your wife</em>.</p><p>His real family died decades ago. All that was left was Twilight; for all intents and purposes, the very definition of a specter. He existed just long enough to get the job done, and when that was finished he'd fade away. Gone, forgotten, as it should be. Yor and Anya would move on, maybe curse his name, but he wouldn't be around to hear it. He'd be too busy haunting someone else at that point, and when he was done with them he'd disappear all over again. A phantom in all but name, until the day he finally became one permanently-</p><p>"-Happy Halloween, Loid!" Yor's cheery voice sliced the static. Loid froze on a dime. His head creaked over and found an outstretched palm with some candies on it waiting for him.</p><p>He blinked. The scent of tea leaves filled his nostrils as warm steam emanated from the pot in Yor's other hand. Loid hesitated. Then, slowly, he looked up at her and smiled. "Happy Halloween."</p><p>She beamed at him, and all of a sudden those thoughts went away yet again. This time, as he took the candy from his wife's hand and watched her lean over to start setting up the coffee table for drinks, the monsters in his head were silenced for good. Regardless of their validity, regardless of whether or not he should, Loid forced himself to bury them along with all the other things best left forgotten. False memories of a time when he was a kid. His loathing for the holidays. All the reservations he had...dead and buried. Six feet under.</p><p>A fitting end on Halloween.</p><p>Cups were filled and passed around. With the dual threat of chocolate in solid and liquid forms, Anya practically vibrated as she watched TV. Internally, Loid mused that his daughter's inevitable crash would be a spectacular one. He smiled smugly at the thought, and closed his eyes in warm content as hot tea whetted his tongue. Yor sat on the couch across from him and got comfortable. She tucked her legs in and held her cup with both hands as she smiled cheerfully at their daughter. Loid unwrapped some candy and popped them into his mouth. Chocolate.</p><p>The movie played on, loud and cheesy as ever. Such was how the rest of the night played out. Once Anya had finished her big candy bar she took a momentary pause before getting up to grab another one. She plucked a smaller bar from her collection and promptly returned back to her spot. The process was repeated several times, each trip taking her longer to complete than the last, until finally there came a point where she wouldn't get back up again. The wall that Loid knew would eventually come did, in fact, come. An hour or so after being back home, Anya had hit her limit.</p><p>A yawn. Such was the signal that Loid had been waiting for; once he heard it, the man instructed his daughter to pack up the candy and start getting ready for bed. Immediately Anya protested, and just as quickly her father restated his command. With a frown on her face, the girl looked between him and the TV and asked if she could at least wait till the end of the movie. Loid sighed in annoyance before looking to Yor. Still that smile on her face. Coupled with his daughter's frown, Loid could only shake his head and relent. Fine, until the end of the movie.</p><p>Anya let out a tired cheer. She rose from her spot and made her way over to mama, the latter of whom quickly shifted to allow her room on the couch with her. The two of them fell into place with one another; Anya tucked in between Yor's legs, and Yor serving as both backrest and pillow. They quickly got comfy and refocused their attention on the TV. Loid eyed them and noticed the content on their faces. He remained silent, though was hard pressed to keep the tiniest hint of a smirk from spreading across his lips.</p><p>Together, the three of them continued watching. Loid's eyes would glaze over at the sheer campiness of the movie, though, ever the analyst, he scanned every detail as it came up on screen. The zipper down the monster's back. The way a lady was wearing a slightly different sweater in one scene than she was two seconds ago. The miraculous ability of the main character's pistol to hold a seemingly endless supply of bullets. The <em>writing. </em>Loid had half a mind to chide his daughter for rotting her brain with such low brow entertainment, and yet...</p><p>He looked over and found her not even watching. Surely she had been moments before, though her little green eyes had now shuttered closed for good. Her mouth hung open and head rolled onto mama's arm. Loid looked up expecting Yor to be giving him the signal to take Anya, but was surprised yet again to find her asleep as well. Same as her daughter; mouth open, head rolled over, only in the opposite direction. Her chest rose and fell evenly, signaling she was well passed nodding off. It looked like she'd been out for a while.</p><p>Loid exhaled. He pushed off the chair and rose to his feet, quietly so as to not prematurely wake them. His goal was to pick up Anya and leave Yor there on the couch to sleep. An easy prospect considering Anya wasn't too tangled up in mama, although it ended up being easier said than done. Slowly, quietly, Loid dug his arms underneath the little girl. His hands brushed passed Yor, and the moment they did her eyes creaked open. Loid paused as a lidded stare greeted him. His face hovered in front of hers. In his arms, a pink-haired bundle lay there snoring.</p><p>He waited as she blinked a couple times before coming to her senses. When Yor realized it was him, red streaked across her face although it wasn't the deep hue that Loid had come to expect of her whenever she became flustered. She didn't flinch, didn't jump back in surprise; she just gazed at him quietly, seemingly knowing full well why he was there.</p><p>"It's time for bed," Loid instructed softly.</p><p>Still half-asleep, Yor nodded faintly. "Okay."</p><p>She relinquished her weak hold on Anya and watched as Loid turned towards the hallway. Yor yawned as he made his way over, and a moment later she willed herself up as well. She followed her husband to Anya's door, a steady, sleepy trudge that was at the same time hurried; his hands were full and needed someone to open the door. Yor obliged, and she stood off to the side as he shuffled in. Anya babbled incoherently as papa deposited her onto the bed. With the hallway light guiding him, he tucked her in and stood there for a moment.</p><p>Anya would have to brush her teeth in the morning. The cavities in her head must have been having a field day with all the sugar she'd consumed, and Loid sighed to himself at the thought. His daughter was a handful, though he supposed most children were, and briefly considered the conversation they'd have in the morning. After waking. After breakfast. Before, of course, planning their next family outing for the day; Anya would inquire about where they'd be going and Loid would chastise her for worrying about that instead of cleaning herself up. Yor would gently intervene, and father and daughter would reset on more amicable terms. They'd all reconvene at the breakfast table and sort through it together. Like a real family.</p><p>Loid stared down at his daughter and smirked.</p><p>A yawn came from the hallway, followed by light footsteps. "Goodnight, dear."</p><p>Instantly, Loid's eyes widened. He spun around, yet found nothing but an empty doorway where moments ago had stood his wife. Immediately after, the sound of her door closing signaled that she'd already made the trek to bed and likewise left Loid dumbstruck. He remained silent, contemplative; surely she must have been talking to Anya just now? He was about ninety-nine percent sure that was the case. There was little doubt in his mind, and yet...that one percent lingered over him. Just like the taste of chocolate she'd given him hours before.</p><p>"...Goodnight, Yor," Loid answered back under his breath. Just in case he was mistaken.</p><p>Loid made sure Anya was sound asleep before making his way over towards the exit. He paused, and offered the room one last scan before leaving for good. The hallway light was soon extinguished as well, and its departure marked the end of the Forgers' first Halloween. Maybe somewhere, buried beneath that one percent of him that liked to think Yor had called him dear, Loid hoped there would be another.</p><p>Another haunted house to visit. Another opportunity for Anya to go trick-or-treating like a normal girl. Another crappy movie to watch together as a family. Even if it wasn't all real. Even if this carefully crafted illusion he'd made for himself was destined to blow up in his face, he wanted to experience it all at least one more time as a husband and father.</p><p>Tinfoil crinkled as he opened the last of his candy. Disappearing into his room, he popped the chocolate into his mouth and closed the door behind him.</p><p>His name was Loid Forger; just another one of Twilight's masks at the end of the day...but, really, what was one more mask on Halloween?</p>
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